Chapter ten
The warm breeze tickled my nose, and the smell of fresh pine invaded my senses. The bright shining sun burned my retinas as I started up at a cloudless blue sky. The temperature reached just above 60 degrees, a rarity for Forks. I reached forward, petting the soft mound of moss growing from under a rock, the spongy texture moistened my skin and I smiled.
A sudden rustling of leaves from behind me caught my attention. I snapped my head up, and greedily took in my surroundings, searching for any sign of attack. I froze as a blur of gold appeared in the corner of my eye, disappearing just as quickly as it appeared. The soft menacing giggle that erupted from somewhere in the forest caused my heart to sink, I anxiously darted my eyes from tree to tree in a feeble attempt to save myself.
'It's now or never'I thought, quickly I turned around only to be met with a pair of sparkling blue orbs staring straight back at me. I squealed as I tried to escape but I was too late. Before I even had the chance to make a run for it, I was trapped in the tight embrace of my sister's arms. "Tag, you're it." She smirked.
With a groan of defeat I disentangled myself from her arms. I huffed, crossing my arms tightly over my chest, sticking my nose up in the air in an act of defiance. Obviously laughing at my performance, Rosalie fell to the ground in a sudden fit of giggles, her tinkling bell like laugh echoed throughout the forest. Her long golden locks fanned over her face, as she shook with laughter. Her bright ocean blues sparkled with amusement.
"Stop laughin' at me Rosie!" I whined, brushing the pieces of stray hair from my vision. "I'm tired of you taggin' me, I wanna win!"
Rosalie opened her mouth to say something but the sound of something crashing and breaking in the distance stopped us both in our tracks. Hand in hand we rushed to the edge of the forest, stopping as our house came into view. Awe struck I stared forward my eyes transfixed on the scene in front of me. Mommy stormed out of the house with tears streaming down her face. I watched as daddy ran after her, catching her by her wrist he pulled her towards him spinning her around to face him.
"RENE LOOK AT ME!" He demanded, his voice loud and commanding. I quivered in fear from my hiding spot behind the tree. I wondered why daddy was yelling, why was he being so mean? And why was mommy crying? I stepped away from the tree, trying to rush over to them but Rosalie stopped me.
"Bells stay here," she whispered.
"Charlie, I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore. I can't take it. This stupid town, this stupid everything, I'm not happy. I haven't been happy in a long time."
"You're not taking them," he growled, a single tear fell from his eye. "You can't do this to me."
"I'm sorry Charlie, I really am." Mommy whispered. "Rosalie come here now," she said just above a whisper. Rosie pressed her lips lightly to my forehead. "Just stay here Bells, I'll be right back."
"No!" I shouted. "Rosie, don't leave me!"
"I'll be right back, Belly" she whispered before rushing over to our mother. I stood behind the tree, frozen in place as I watched my sister approach my mother's crying form.
"We're leaving, Rosalie, come on. Let's go." Mommy roughly pulled Rosalie by her wrist, dragging her over to the car. Rosalie's face twisted into a mask of confusion, and fear.
"Leaving?" Rosalie asked, her voice low. "Daddy and Bella are coming too, right?"
Mommy sighed, running her fingers through my sisters tousled blonde locks. "No honey, they're not. It's just us."
My eyes widened as I watched my mother force Rosalie into the back of her four door Sudan. "I'm sorry Charlie," she said as she circled around to the front of the car, hopping in the front seat.
As my mother pulled out of the drive, I ran over to car in a feeble attempt to stop her. "Mommy! Mommy!" I called out. "Where are you going?"
A pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into a tight embrace, stopping me from going any further. I turned my head, frowning at my father's tear stained face.
"Where are they going?" I asked, my voice just above a whisper.
"I don't know," he replied, his voice quiet.
"When are they coming back?" I asked, wiping away the tears that fell from my father's closed eyes. He pulled me tighter against my chest, and was quiet for a few moments.
"I don't know," he whispered.
Clutching the blanket tightly against my chest I jolted up off the bed.
My heart beat franticly, pounding in my ears. My head was spinning, and I felt as if I were going to be sick. I sat up and leaned back against the head of my bed. I ran my fingers through my hair, hanging my head in my hands.
In that moment, I felt alone. I missed Charlie, and some small part of me missed Renee as well. I reached over and picked up the pack of cigarettes sitting on my bedside table. Gingerly, I opened the pack, slowly taking a cigarette from the box and placed the filter in between my lips.
I reached for my lighter, and carefully lit the cigarette. I took a long drag, inhaling deeply, allowing the gentle smoke to fill my lungs and calm my senses.
I didn't think about Renee much. After she left, I quickly adjusted to her absence; I had missed my sister's presence in my life more than I had ever missed hers. We weren't close – Renee and I – even before she left she didn't hold a monumental part in my life. When she left, I didn't hate her for leaving, I hated her for taking my sister with her.
Renee was never much of a mother to me; it was obvious who the favored daughter was. I didn't hold it against Rosalie though, I had Charlie and it wasn't her fault that our mother was a bitch.
I took another long drag from my cigarette, lost in my thoughts. I didn't feel up for school today. I contemplated skipping; it seemed like a good idea in theory. I pulled at the back of my lip ring with the tip of my tongue, and scratched my head.
"Ah, fuck it." I breathed, sinking down further into the duvets and sheets. I hit my cigarette, taking a long last hit, reached over and put it out in my ashtray. With a groan I rolled over, and swung my legs off the edge of the bed. I glanced at the clock, and it read 9:45 AM. I was already late for school, having missed first period, and a good bit of second. I decided that there wasn't much of a point in going today.
I bent down, picking up a pair of light grey baggy sweat pants, and a purple jacket. I slipped on the clothes, and pulled my hair into a high ponytail. I made sure to grab my cigarettes, and lighter from the bedside table before slowly making my way downstairs.
I entered the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee maker. I quickly made a fresh pot of coffee, and poured myself a cup. I brought the cup to my face, holding it under my nose, I inhaled the scent of the steaming hot black liquid. I took a large gulp, wincing as the black liquid burned the back of my throat.
With coffee in hand, I made my way to the kitchen table and sat down. I smiled slightly to myself, remembering the way Charlie would sit across from me, drinking a cup of coffee of his own, quietly reading the paper. The thought of Charlie made my heart wrench, I hoped that from wherever he was he could see how much I missed him.
I took another sip of coffee, and sighed. After a few moments, I got up from the table, and grabbed my keys from the hook. I slipped on a pair of shoes, and hastily walked out the house, locking the front door behind me. I opened the door of my truck, hopping into the chilly cab. I placed the keys in the ignition, when the Chevy roared to life I peeled out of the driveway.
I drove in silence, not bothering with the radio. I made a quick stop at a small flower shop, and picked up a single white carnation flower. After a twenty minute drive, I brought my truck to a stop in front of Forks Cemetery. Shutting off the ignition, I opened the door with flower in hand, and stepped out of the cab. I sighed deeply through my nose, taking in the sight of all the tombstones in the cemetery. Without hesitation, I stepped through the main gate, and quickly made my way over to Charlie's grave. I sat down in the grass in front of his grave, and placed the white carnation directly in front of his tombstone.
"Hey Dad," I said, my mouth turned up into a small sad smile.
"I miss you," I whispered, reaching out to touch the smooth granite of his tombstone. "Sorry that I haven't been to visit in a few days," I told him.
"I performed at Esme's the other night, it was one of my songs, I was pretty scared," I chuckled. "Embry talked me into it."
"Something bad happened to Rosalie," I whispered. "She's in the hospital, don't worry though, Carlisle is taking good care of her."
"Royce… he uh, beat her up." I told him. "I knew about it before hand," I confessed. "When I came home from Esme's the other night, I found her crying in the living room, she was a real mess." I took a deep breath through my nose, trying to ease my nerves.
"I wanted to call the police, but I let her talk me out of it," I admitted. "I should have followed my instincts.
"I never liked Royce. I knew he was no good from the start. You wouldn't have liked him either, he was a real dick." I frowned.
"Other than Rosalie, everything's been fine. I started school yesterday," I paused for a moment. "I know what you're thinking, I should be in school now but I really wasn't up for going."
"I won't fail Biology again though; I don't want to graduate late." I reassured him. "It's not the same without you," I said quietly, just above a whisper. "I wish you were still here." I wiped away the tear that fell from my eye.
I whipped around when I heard soft footsteps approaching me from behind. My jaw dropped, and my eyes narrowed when I noticed the small pixie girl with short, spiky black hair stop behind me.
"Bella…" she breathed, just above a whisper.
A/N: Hello everyone! I know this isn't very long, I'm sorry for that. I'll start working on chapter eleven soon, and I'll probably post it in the next few days. Thank you for reading, I love all of you.
XOXOXOXO
until my next update,
-raybabiieex3